Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
The Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter has a rich history. Its earliest origins date back to 1600s Native Americans, who honored the land by naming it Holy in the Sky. Two hundred years later, Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers passed through what is now Swaner Preserve on their way to the Salt Lake Valley. The Swaner Preserve has hosted a slew of transportation advancements, including a new Pony Express Route in 1860 passing directly in front of the Swaner Old Stone House. From 1872-1890, the Kimball Brothers Stage line operated through the heart of today’s Swaner Preserve, establishing Kimball’s Junction and the first train tracks connecting Salt Lake City and Park City, completed by Utah Central railway in 1889.
In 1957, Leland S. Swaner purchased the Spring Creek Angus Ranch which he continued to operate for the next 35 years. Originally constructed in the late 1800s, the ranch was located on the north side of the roadway, complete with a barn and other ranch buildings. The Spring Creek Angus Ranch Partnership donated 190 acres of land in Leland’s memory, establishing the Swaner Memorial Park Foundation in 1993. The preserve grew to more than 1,000 acres through the donation of seven additional parcels of land in the following years. Another 107 acres were added in 2003 when the Wallin Farm was purchased (now known as the Farm at Swaner). The organization’s name was formally changed in 2005 to the Swaner Nature Preserve, and the 2006 groundbreaking commenced the construction of the Swaner EcoCenter. The center hosted its grand opening in 2008.
In 2010, then Utah State University President Stan L. Albrecht and the board of directors of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter in Park City announced the largest private gift in USU history. The gift transfered the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter to USU ownership and oversight. The monetary value of the gift is in excess of $30 million. Moreover, the addition of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter directly advanced USU’s statewide scientific, educational and outreach mission in the Park City area.
The Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter consists of a 1,200-acre land trust in the Snyderville Basin and a 10,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to environmental education. The preserve protects critical wetland and foothill terrain in the heart of one of the state’s fastest-growing areas. The EcoCenter, completed in 2009, is a multi-use facility with space for educational and community activities. The facility is LEED Platinum Certified, the highest standard for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
The Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter pursues a three-fold mission to preserve the land and the human connection to the natural landscape, to educate the local and broader communities about the value of nature and to nurture both the ecosystem and the people connected with it.
*Note: All bios are current and up-to-date as of Summer 2022.